


The Beginning Of The End

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Murder by Numbers (2002)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-20
Updated: 2006-12-20
Packaged: 2018-01-25 06:35:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1636742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The more they struggled against their bonds in an attempt to be free, the more entangled they became." - It ended in betrayal and death, but how did it really begin?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beginning Of The End

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Zoe Rayne

 

 

Justin Pendleton did not tutor for money, whatever else could be said about his parents, money they gave him. Justin tutored because he didn't have many friends and sometimes books were not enough. It was a sad fact that he rarely even admitted to himself but it was only when his solitude became too much to bear that he responded to the tutoring requests. There were always an adequate number of people interested in his brain. He was never really bullied, the intelligent solitude he hid behind was respected by most as it gave him a protective cloak that was difficult to penetrate. Of course there were exceptions. There always are in high school.

Richard Haywood was a bastard, he was the sort of popular boy that everyone appeared to like but no one really did. He was attractive and witty and girls would fall for him while knowing they will get their hearts broken. Richard did not bully specific people, he was less discriminatory than most and preferred spewing random insults at everyone that was in some way inferior to him, which most people tended to be. Including Justin.

There was something fascinating about the arrogant boy that made Justin's quiet confidence disappear when faced with Richard. He flustered and flushed and hated himself for longing for the attention signified by the comments. That was why he did not immediately refuse it when faced with the unexpected offer.

"Hey, Justin, wait up!" Richard called after him.

Justin stopped in his tracks and not bothering with the usual pleasantries, gave him a puzzled look. Why was Richard Haywood talking to him?

"Richard?" He did not know what to say and forced himself not to look away.

"Look, I know we are not friends or anything but you have the reputation of a genius and I would need a genius to get a decent mark on the Bio SAT. So, what do you say?"

Richard smirked as if he was making a most illicit offer. He had the stance of someone who was rarely denied what he wanted.

Justin swallowed the instinctive decline that was threatening to spill out of him. Having Richard owing him something could certainly have its uses.

"Um. I guess, when would...?"

"Five o'clock, my house. See you there." Richard flashed him a brilliant smile before walking off.

Justin stood rooted to the spot for a few long moments before remembering himself and heading home. He did think that he might have made mistake and yet the prospect of spending the afternoon in Richard's house was more than exciting.

***

That is how it had began. Looking back Justin felt little regret about his choice, he knew now that it had been inevitable. The more they struggled against their bonds in an attempt to be free, the more entangled they became. They tried to be truly free and they had both failed, though Justin even more so. He couldn't help but feel guilt, if everything is determined than there could not be any place for regret or guilt and morality was perfectly subjective. He believed all this but his conscience betrayed him, he was unable to fully make the leap from theory into practice.

***

That first meeting in Richard's house was suitably uneventful, and surprisingly comfortable. They had spend years in the same school but knew almost nothing about each other. Justin was surprised to discover the many books in Richard's room, philosophy, sociology, even anthropology. There was certainly more to Richard than he had been aware of, and his fascination grew. The expression `don't judge a book by its cover' truly applied to Richard. At the end of their first study session Justin felt like he had only had time to glance at the first few pages before it was cruelly taken away from him. He was desperate to come back and find out more.

***

Justin was sitting opposite Richard and carefully regarding the other boy's face. They had spent the last couple of weeks studying together and an odd friendship had developed. The two boys, so very different in public in fact had a lot in common. Justin had found the only person ever in his life that challenged him and engaged him. It was rewarding to receive responses to his theories and ideas. He had shared a lot of his ideas with Richard apart from the big one. It was time to tell him, he felt, he was not sure what the response would be like but the sleepy heat made him feel unusually reckless.

"Richard, have you ever wondered what it would be like to kill a man?" He asked casually, it was a way as good as any of starting that particular conversation.

"Huh? I knew you were a freak Pendleton, but I had no idea you were a murderer!" Richard sounded delighted at the idea.

"No. I mean, it doesn't matter." Justin thought for a second that he had made a mistake but Richard kept talking.

"Of course I have, who hasn't? Who do you want to off?" He grinned and Justin could read a challenge in that grin.

"No, it is not like that. No one in particular, just someone. A random person."

His theory was complicated and this was the first time he was voicing it to anyone so it took a while to explain it. It hinged on the idea that in order to be truly free you had to free yourself from the norms that society imposes on you, for they are against your nature and against your real choices. The final leap to freedom was insured by murder. Passion free and guilt free murder was the key to true freedom. The victim had to be randomly chosen as that would compare the death to that caused by a blameless act of nature. There was more to it and for Justin a large part of the trill was the possibility of escape, not getting caught was what it was all about.

He had hoped that Richard would understand and his hope was not betrayed. It took a little while of course. His speech on that warm afternoon was followed by Richard's laughter and a subtle but quick change of subject but a week later Richard approached him in school.

That in itself was unusual as Richard's behaviour to him in school had not changed, he mostly ignored him and randomly insulted him.

"Meet me tonight at the old Wintu Lodge, off Highland Road. We need to talk."

***

By the time Justin found the abandoned old house Richard was there, waiting for him. He had a half mad smile and when Justin neared him, he did the most unusual thing. He stood up, swayed slightly, cradled Justin's face between his hands and pressed his lips against his. As kisses go it was dry and quick, and before Justin could respond in any way it was over.

"You do have the most amazing lips, you know that? People always talk about your brain, no one seems to notice how beautiful you are. But you are, I bet no one has ever told you that before." Richard giggled. "Lets kills someone. You and me. I know that we can do it and get away with it."

Justin turned a deep shade of red and said nothing for a long while, he was not sure what to say at all.

"You are drunk." He finally settled on. "Or high."

"Right on both counts, but that does not mean that I don't know what I am saying"

That is how it properly began. Their plan was worked out over a shared bottle of vodka, and sealed with a kiss. Well the kiss was there at the start anyway, mutual masturbation certainly helped matters along.

***

The next few months were idyllic, or as idyllic as they can be when you are seventeen and planning a murder with a lover you don't recognise in public. They planned and plotted and fucked, read numerous books on forensics and crime and fucked some more. It was intense, obsessive and unhealthy and what made it better was that no one else knew. In school they were strangers, though they certainly took calculated risks. They lived for risks and felt free through the completeness of every small rebellion. Richard stole a key from a janitor and was even able to persuade Justin to skip a couple of classes. Justin gave him everything he wanted and Richard completely depended on Justin.

It was incredible until the long summer break took Richard away for five long weeks, leaving Justin alone to his thoughts. He felt out of place once again. He had no idea what to do with himself, he missed Richard so terribly he spend hours on his computer one night putting their faces together to form a new image, a new face. Their identity joined in such a way was the personification of their master plan.

And all that time Richard did not call once. Justin was so close to going insane, he went to the Bluff by himself, but it was not the same. He sat cross legged and attempted to mediate, it was a newly developed hobby and it was not working. He stood up and paced around, it was supposed to be Richard's return today. But Justin would not be too surprised if Richard did not turn up. He was terrified that Richard had come to his senses and would refuse to carry this thing on. Their plan, the sex, everything else. It had to carry on, otherwise Justin could not. He was so lost in his own head that he did not notice the arrival of another person.

"Missed me?" Richard asked.

Justin jumped, he had instantly felt a sense of relief but was damned if he was going to show his emotions.

"Richard? I thought you had forgotten about me."

"No need to be petulant, do you think I could call you in front of Louise? People would have been suspicious."

Louise? Justin was sure that Richard could have found the time to call at least once in five weeks but chose not push it.

"Louise?" He raised an eyebrow, he always had known that Richard had girls but he never really mentioned them, which probably meant Louise mattered. A coil of jealousy settled in his belly and he felt sick. This was ridiculous, Richard could never really be just his.

"Yes, Louise, my summer fling. God you should have seen her, she is glorious. A redhead and you know what they say about redheads."

Justin took an involuntary step back, he really was going to be sick. He didn't want to know anything about Richard's flings.

Richard noticed and his smile grew predatory.

"Come now Justin, what I had with her is nothing compared to what we have, what we are going to do together is more specially binding than any redhead's handcuffs."

Richard walked purposefully straight into Justin's personal space like he tended to do and firmly grabbed his neck. It would have been violent if his thumbs were not caressing Justin's jaw and lips. It continued to be predatory.

When the kiss came it was violent. A crush of tongues and teeth, lips bitten until blood was drawn and then carefully licked. They had somehow moved so that Justin was pressed against the cobwebs of the wall and Richard was half straddling him, hands more cradling than hurting, hips angled just so. Justin let himself be taken over, he surrendered like he always did, it was inevitable. He needed to be seduced, to be told what to do, a part of him, a well hidden part needed the attention. Richard's attention was all on him and it affected him like a drug.

"Stop thinking Justin, I can tell you are thinking so don't deny it." Richard had half broken the kiss and mouthed the words onto Justin's lips.

They looked at each other for a long moment before Justin looked down in a way Richard found irresistible, or at least he had told Justin so once when under the influence of something.

Richard forced Justin's chin up and without breaking eye contact slowly licked his lips before plunging forward for a softer, deeper kiss.

Sometime very soon one of the boys was holding both their cocks in his hand while the other was doing everything possible to seal the distance between their bodies.

"Mine." Richard whispered. "You are always mine, no one else's." He told Justin's neck, punctuating each word with a kiss or a bite.

When it was all over they collapsed in a tangled heap on the horrendously dusty floor and did not speak for a few minutes while regaining their composure and underwear.

"It's good to be home." Richard remarked.

Justin had to agree. It was the end of an awful summer but the beginning of a great year, he could taste it. Their plan was almost fully formed and soon they would be ready. There was no stopping them. Nothing could possibly get between them and together they formed an unbeatable team.

 

 

 


End file.
